Storage and transportation of liquids



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E. D. RAGLAND STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION OF LIQUIDS 3 Sheots-Shoet S Filed Deo. 13, 1968 FIG. 7.

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S EA-COCK SOLENOID BENJAMIN DOUGLS RA 3,541,588` STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION OF` LIQUIDSv Benjamin Douglas Ragland, Houston, Tex., assignor to v Esso Production Research Company. v

ined Dec.13,196s,ser.N0.7s3,s55 5- y Int. Cl. B63b 21 /00, 35/00, 35/28 f U.S. Cl. 114-.5 173 Claims ABSTRACT oF run DISCLOSURE 1o Liquids such as oil andthe like are obtained from an underwater source such as an underwater well and flowed into a. sunken vessel until the vessel is iilled. 1`hereafter,y v

'the vessel is disconnected from the underwater well and 15 a second vessel is sunk to receive the liquid while the tirst vessel is raised and towed or moved to a terminal, the cycle beingl repeatedin a continuous operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention is directed to storage and transportation of liquids. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the storage and transportation of oil produced from underwater wells. In its more specific aspects, the invention is directed to storage and transportation of o il in which a plurality of vessels is employed.

Descriptioniof the prior art It, has been known to ow oil into barges or other oating vessels at water surface from underwater wells. These mehods and apparatus usually required some terminal either floating or fixed to which the vessels receiving the oil are moored. In rough weather or high seas, difficulties are encountered in mooring the vessels to receive the oil at water surface. In accordance with the present invention, it is no longer necessary to have a xed mooring terminal at the water surface; but, rather, the oil is lowed into sunken vessels on water bottom, the sunken vessels being raised when the vessel is lled'with oil. Specific prior art considered in filing this. application include the following listed U.S. patents: U.S. 2,731,168; U.S. 3,063,507; U.S. 3,085,533; U.S. 3,220,372.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION marized as involving a method of storing and transporting a valuable liquid such as oil from an underwater source such as a well completed on water bottom in ai cyclic operation in which a iirst vessel at water surface is connected to the underwater source of the valuable liquid and then sunk to water bottom while maintaining the nconnectiomThe first vessel isl thenv filled with the liquid;` and after it is filled it is disconnected from the source of the liquid. A second vessel is connected at water surface with the source of valuable liquid, and it is then/ sunk while maintaining the connection. The first vessel` which is filled with liquid from the source is then raised to water surface by deballasting and moved to a terminal'. During this raising and moving step, the second vessel is being filled with liquid from the source of the liquid. The cyclic operation of employing the first and second 0r more vessels is then repeated. .NJ

The invention also involves apparatus for conducting 65 such cyclic operations in a system for storing and transporting oil or other valuable liquids and includes first and second floatable vessels for storing and transporting liquids. Each of said vessels is provided with ballasting and deballasting means, and each ofsaid vessels is pro- 70 vided with means for'n releasably fluidly connecting said "ice vessels to at least'one underwater well. Each vessel is also provided with -means adapted to receive the releasably uidly connecting means for releasably connecting each of said vessels to the underwater well for filling the vessels. The apparatus of the present invention also includes a third vessel which is suitably powered for operating the ballasting and deballasting means andthe releasably liuidly connecting means and for movingfthe third vessel and either of the first and second Avessels. The rst and second vessels may be powered while the third vessel would be provided with power -only forf operating the several means. v

. BRIEF DESCRIPTION THE DRAWING The present linvention may be further described and illustrated by reference to the drawing in which:

FIGS. 1-6, inclusive, are a step-wise illustration of the practice and apparatus of lthe present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view of the ballasting and deballasting means; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are views of a owline adapter on the sinkable vessels.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODE AND EMBODIMENT WITH REFERENCE TO THE @DRAWING Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIGS. 1-6 in which identical numerals will be employed to designate identical parts, numeral 11 designates a body of water having a water bottom 12 and a water surface 13 on which a vessel 14 such as'a barge is floating. The vessel 14 is exibly connected by tow line 15 toa tug boat or other towing means 16 oTv-Hihanged a suitable lifting means such as a powered crane 17.

- A second barge 18 is on water bottom 12 and has been filled with oil from a source not shown. Barge 18 is provided with a ooding control means 19 and a flowline adapter means 20. Barge 14 is similarly equipped with a flooding control means 19 Vand a flowline adapter 20 as shown more clearly in FIGS. 7-9, inclusive.

Referring again to barge 14, means 21 for operating the flooding control means 19 is arranged in the ooding control means 19 which opens a sea cock which causes the barge 14 to be sunk to water bottom as shown more clearly in FIGS. 2-6. Prior to the sinking operation, means 22 carried by crane 17 and connected to line 23 which in turn is connected to a wellhead, not shown, on water bottom 12 is placed in the ilowline adapter 20 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Before the barge 14 is sunk to bottom 12, it is connected by line 23 to the well or other sources of valuable fluids not shown. The tug 16 FIG. k4. Meanwhile, the barge 14 is being lled with oil` or other valuable uids introduced by the tlowline 23. The ooding control operating means 21 suspended from crane 17 by line 24 is lowered into the flooding control means 19 on barge 18. The means 22 has been removed from the tiowline adapter 20 on barge 18. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the barge 1S is raised from water bottom 12 to water surface 13 by deballasting, means 21 having opened the sea cocks, which be de described further. When the barge 18 reaches water surface 13, the tug 16 then tows it by line 15 to a suitable terminal which may be onshore or on a platform for pumping out of the barge 18 and for further use of the oil contained in the with oil and the barge 18 being sunk with its oil compartments empty.

Referring to FIG. 7, the barges 14 and 18 are provided with compartments or ballast tanks 30 formed by bulk-heads not shown. The compartments are provided with sea cocks 32 which are operably controlled to allow ballast to flow in or out of the compartment 30. The actuating arm -33 of. the sea cock 32 is pivotally `connected to a vertical shaft 34 which sealingly -extends through the upper wall of compartment 30 and is biased upwardly by spring member 35 bearing against the under the means 21 into contact with the upper end of shaft 34. l

The means 21 is of sufficient weightto push shaft 34 down and operate the sea cock 32 to the open po-sition. Thev means 21 is provided with a seating surface 41 on its lower end which is adapted to embed in the seal ring 37, sealingly and uidly communicating the air passage 38 of shaft 34 with an air passage 42 in means 21. Air hose 53 is connected to the'upper end of passage 42 and is clamped to the hoisting cable 24 and extends to the vessel 16 where an air pressure source is provided. When it is desired to flood compartment 30 with seawater, means 21 is lowered by cable 24 and crane 17 into guide means 40 whereby its weight pushes shaft 34 downward which in turn opens seacock 32 allowing seawater to enter and fill compartment or compartments 30. Lifting of means 21 allows the seacock 32 to close. To deballast the compartment, the same procedure is followed except that air pressure is admitted to the compartment to force seawater out through the seacock and allow the barge 14 or 18 to oat to the surface as shown in- FIG. 5.

When the barge 14 or 18 is connected to a well on bottom or other source of valuable fiuids, the flowline adapter shown in more detail in FIG. 8 is operated. The owline adapter 20 provides for a fluid connection between the barge 14 or 18 and the product owline 23. The adapter 20 is formed to provide a sleeve portion 45 which is adapted to slide down over and sealingly engage a hollow prong member 4'6 attached to the top of the barge. Sleeve portion 45 is provided -With seal rings 47. Movement downwardly of adapter 20 on prong vmember 46 opens oil compartment valve member 48 against the bias of closure spring 49. The upper end of prong member 46 has a seating surface 50 which sealingly embeds in a seal ring gasket 51. In the position shown in FIG. 8, fluid ow can now be had between fiowline 23 and the oil compartment of the barge. Y

The device shown in FIG. 9 provides a means for releasably attaching the cable 24 to the adapter 20. A solenoid 52 attached to clevis 55 is energized to retract an attaching pin 54. Energy is supplied to solenoid 52 by lead 53 which with cable 24 extends to Vthe vessel 16. Other means besides the adapter 2O and means 22 may beused to'connect and disconnect line 23. l

The barges 14 and 18 may be suitably powered for self-propulsion before sinking and after raising same by including a suitable power means in a water-tight compartment not shown. ln these instances, a work boat with hoisting means and other lifting equipment may be used .in lieu of tug 16. While the invention has been described and illustrated with the first vessel being disconnected from the liquid source before the secondvessel is con- 4 lecting, storing and transporting oil or other valuable liquidscontinuously has been provided with the storage being on water bottom and free from buieting by wind and severe wave action.

. The present invention is, therefore, quite valuable and y useful.' f y f The nature and objects of the present-invention having been completely described and illustrated and the best mode and embodiments contemplated set forth, what I wish to claim as new and useful is: 1. A method of storing and transporting valuable liquid from an underwater source in a continuous cyclic operation, the steps which comprise:

connecting a first vessel to said underwater source; sinking said first vessel to water bottom while maintaining said connection; rfilling said first vessel with liquid from said source;

v Y connecting a second vessel to said source;v

c lisconriecting said first vessel from said source;

said disconnecting and connecting steps being in any order; sinking said second vessel while maintaining said connection; and raising said liquid filled -rst vessel to water surface and moving same to a terminal while filling said second vessel with liquid from'said source; and repeating said cyclic operation. 2. A- method in accordance with claim 1 in which the underwater source is a well and the liquid is oil.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 in which said vessels are connected to and disconnected from said well by a owline connected to said well.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 in which said vessels are sunk and raised by controllably ballasting and deballasting a portion of said vessels.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 in which said cyclic operation is conducted from a third vessel at water surface which provides power to move said vessels to and from said terminal. A

6. A method in accordance with claimV 1 in which:

(a) said vessels are sunk and raised by controllably ballasting and deballasting;

(b) said vessels are connected to and disconnected from said vessel by a fiowline connected to said source; andv (c)` said cyclic operation is conducted from a third vessel at water surface which provides -power for moving said vessels to and from said terminal.

7. In a system for storing and transportingv oil from an underwater well in a body of water, apparatus which comprises:

at least first and second oatable vessels for storing and transporting liquids;

means on each vessel foi. ballasting and deballasting each of said vessels;

means for releasably tiuidly connecting each of said vessels to at least one underwater well;

means on each said vessel adapted to receive said releasably uidly connecting means for releasably connecting each saidvessel to said underwater well for filling each said vessel;

a third floating vessel;

said third vessel being provided with means for operating said ballasting and deballasting means and said releasably fluidly connecting means; and

at least one of said first, second, and third vessels be'- ing provided with means for at least alternately moving said first and second vessels in said body of water.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which the releasably uid connecting means comprises a conduit connected to said well.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 in which the third vessel is provided with means for selectively controlling said ballasting and deballasting means.

er o

10.V Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 in which: (a) the releasably fluid connecting means comprises a conduit connected to said well; f

(b) the third vessel isvprovided with means for selecl tively controlling said ballasting and deballasting means; and

(c) the third vessel is provided with power means for.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1 in which the 15 1144235 second vessel is connected before the first vessel is disconnected.

13. A method in accordance with claim 1 in which the vessels are connected at water surface to said source.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS v2,990,796 7/ 1961 Cole et al. 114-().5 3,322,087 5/ 1967 Tucker 114-05 10 3,435,793 4/ 1969 Shurtlet 1. 114-05 `'rRYG-VE M. BLIX, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

